MS Flight Sim or Alternative
 

I kast used MS Flight Sim in 2004, what are the options now and also what is the options in terms of flight and throttle control, I have looked at SAITEK X52 Flight Controller Joystick.

I am primary interested in B737, A320, BAe Hawk and Piper Arrow as included or add ons.

Prepar3D (https://www.prepar3d.com/)
MS Flight Sim X (e.g., http://store.steampowered.com/app/31...Steam_Edition/)
X-Plane (X-Plane 11 is Here | More Powerful. Made Usable.)
These are the only ones I am aware of featuring contemporary civil planes. Otherwise, Digital Combat Simulator and Rise of Flight (WWI flight sim) are an option, too, if you are into this kind of aircraft.

Regarding controls, my setup includes a Saitek yoke and pedals and a Thrustmaster Hotas Warthog joystick, depending on which aircraft I fly in the sim. The Thrustmaster is expensive but very precise and shows practically no sign of wear even after six years or so. Saitek equipment still works ok, too. The joystick you mentioned has a pretty good reputation as well AFAIK.

These guys are well-established, and could give you a few ideas with regards to hardware as well as software:

R C SIMULATIONS LTD - Innovation in Simulation

For hardware try Ruscool Electronics ( ruscool dot co dot nz )

Flightgear is a high quality free, open source simulator available for Linux, Widows, and Mac. Don't know what aircraft models are available now - there are a lot - but I'd be surprised if you can't get the ones you want - and much more.

Anyone have experience with Prepar3D?. Thoughts

It's basically an improved version of FSX, with somewhat better graphics and performance. It also has built-in VR support, though I've used FlyInside with it before for the Leap Motion hand tracking.

But note that it's only licensed for serious use, not entertainment, and costs about 50x as much as FSX (which you can often find for $5 on Steam).

P3dV4 & P3dV4.1 are latest flight sim iterations. They are now 64 bit,and very stable. For the 737, you can't go past the PMDG 737NGX. It has an SDK which along with FSUIPC and suitable I/O boards allows one to have as many switches, rotaries, etc, as you like.
The P3D versions are either Academic or Professional, depending on your status. Some good control are from GoFlight,Virtual Fly, PFC, but they are expensive.